A conventional construction in which an airbag device and a horn mechanism are mounted in a steering apparatus is known (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-100832).
In a steering apparatus in the '832 Japanese Publication, when a vehicle occupant presses an airbag cover, a movable contact abuts a fixed contact and sounds a horn.
In particular, in the '832 Japanese Publication, the detailed construction of the steering apparatus in which the airbag device and the horn mechanism are mounted is known, but in the steering apparatus, it is strongly suggested that the appearance of the steering apparatus be improved by decreasing a gap between an outer peripheral portion of the horn operating cover and the steering wheel and the operability of the horn operating cover be improved by minimizing a pressing load in operating the horn. As a result, these matters should be considered in designing a steering apparatus.